Towards a Taenia solium cysticercosis vaccine: an epitope shared by Taenia crassiceps and Taenia solium protects mice against experimental cysticercosis.

Abstract

The Taenia crassiceps recombinant antigen KETc7 has been shown to be effective as a vaccine against experimental murine cysticercosis, a laboratory model used to test potentially promising molecules against porcine Taenia solium cysticercosis. Based on the deduced amino acid sequence of this proline-rich polypeptide, three fragments, GK-1, GK-2, and GK-3, were chemically synthesized in linear form. Of the three peptides, only GK-1 induced sterile protection against T. crassiceps cysticercosis in 40 to 70% of BALB/cAnN male mice. GK-1 is an 18-amino-acid peptide which contains at least one B-cell epitope, as demonstrated by its ability to induce an antibody response to the peptide and T. crassiceps antigen without need of a carrier protein. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that anti-GK1 antibodies strongly react with the native protein in the tegument of T. crassiceps and also with anatomical structures of T. solium eggs, oncospheres, cysticercus, and tapeworm. GK-1 also contains at least one T-cell epitope, capable of stimulating the proliferation of CD8(+) and to a lower extent CD4(+) T cells primed either with the free peptide or T. crassiceps total antigen. The supernatant of the stimulated cells contained high levels of gamma interferon and low levels of interleukin-4. Similar results were obtained with T cells tested for intracellular cytokine production, an indication of the peptide's capacity to induce an inflammatory response. The remarkable protection induced by GK-1 immunization, its physicochemical properties, and its presence in all developmental stages of T. solium point to this synthetic peptide as a strong candidate in the construction of a synthetic vaccine against T. solium pig cysticercosis.

• Authors: A Toledo, C Larralde, G Fragoso, G Gevorkian, K Manoutcharian, M Hernández, G Acero, G Rosas, F López-Casillas, C K Garfias, R Vázquez, I Terrazas, E Sciutto
• Journal: Infection and immunity (Infect Immun) Vol. 67 Issue 5 Pg. 2522-30 (May 1999) ISSN: 0019-9567 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10225916 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Helminth
• Antigens, Helminth
• Epitopes
• Helminth Proteins
• Recombinant Proteins
• Vaccines, Synthetic
• Interleukin-4
• Interferon-gamma

Topics

• Amino Acid Sequence
• Animals
• Antibodies, Helminth (blood)
• Antigens, Helminth (chemistry, genetics)
• B-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Cysticercosis (immunology, prevention & control)
• Epitopes (chemistry, genetics)
• Helminth Proteins (chemistry, genetics, immunology)
• Immunization
• Interferon-gamma (biosynthesis)
• Interleukin-4 (biosynthesis)
• Lymphocyte Activation
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Models, Molecular
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Protein Conformation
• Recombinant Proteins (chemistry, genetics, immunology)
• Species Specificity
• T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Taenia (genetics, immunology)
• Vaccines, Synthetic (genetics, immunology, pharmacology)